Rehnquist, William H.; Virginia; Reagan; September 26, 1986-September 3, 2005
William Rehnquist attended Stanford University and received his law degree in 1952. 1952-1953 Rehnquist served as a law clerk to U.S Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson. In 1954 he traveled to Arizona to study and become actively involved in conservative Republican politics. In 1968-1971 Rehnquist went to become U.S Assistant Attorney General. President Nixon appointed Rehnquist a U.S Associate Justice on the U.S Supreme Court in 1971, he was known as being one of the most conservative Justices. He was very active on the U.S Supreme Court and wrote many opinions. President Reagan appointed Rehnquist to be the Chief Justice of the U.S Supreme Court 1986, to replace Warren Burger whom had passed away.
http://www.mcdonaldlawaz.com
Associate Justices
Brennan, William J., Jr.; New Jersey; Eisenhower; October 16, 1956-July 20, 1990
Brennan studied law on a scholarship at Harvard Law School and received his Law Degree in 1931. He started practicing law in his home state at Newark law firm of Pitney, Hardin, and Skinner. He was later added as a partner. He specialized in Labor Law. In 1949 Brennan he was assigned to serve on the Appellate Courts there Brennan stood out and was later appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court on March 24, 1952. He there came up with the system called Pretrial Conference, Pretrial Conference made the trials shorter and faster. To his surprise he was nominated by Eisenhower in 1956 to become a U.S Supreme Court Justice. This decision was later one of Eisenhower’s mistakes. By placing both Warren and Brennan on the court they lead an era of Judicial Activism. That worked against conservative President Eisenhower.
White, Byron Raymond; Colorado; Kennedy; April 16, 1962-June 28, 1993
White had received his Law Degree in 1946 from Yale Law, as an Oxford Rhodes Scholar, after White had served in the U.S Navy to fight in World War II. 1946-1947 White served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Frederick Vinson before he would travel back to his home state of Colorado to study and practice corporate law. In 1960 after supporting John F. Kennedy he was appointed Deputy Attorney General in 1961. A year later in 1962 Kennedy had once again appointed him to something but this time it was the U.S Supreme Court to replace Charles E. Whittaker after he had passed away. Since Nixon was very conservative and had appointed many conservative Justices White was known as the Swing Justice he was Liberal only on civil right cases and then Conservative on criminal justice cases. He was also one of the two justices to dissent from the others in the Roe v. Wade abortion case. In 1993 White retired from the U.S Supreme Court.
Marshall, Thurgood; New York; Johnson, L.; October 2, 1967-October 1, 1991
Marshall received his Law Degree from Howard University in 1933. In 1936 he joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as legal staff. He later became Chief Consul and argued more than 30 cases in front of U.S Supreme Court. Marshall challenged racial segregation in public and in schools. He had a huge impact on his argument on “Separate but Equal” doctrine bringing up Brown v. Board of Education once again. In 1961 his appointment to the U.S Court of Appeals was turned down by two southern Senators, he was later confirmed into the U.S Court of Appeals in 1962. President Johnson appointed him to the U.S Supreme Court. Marshall was the first colored person to take a seat in a higher U.S Court. Throughout his career he supported no segregation based on race and sex he also opposed the death penalty. Marshall always felt like the minority on the court and after he retired he spoke out about the court.
Blackmun, Harry A.; Minnesota; Nixon; June 9, 1970-August 3, 1994
Blackmun graduated from Harvard College and received a degree in Mathematics. He later returned back to Harvard and received a law degree. After graduating he practiced law privately. In 1950-1959 he served on the Mayo Clinic. Later he became a Federal Circuit Court Judge. In 1970 President Nixon appointed him to the U.S Supreme Court to become a Justice, where he had reunited with Warren whom was a childhood friend. Blackmun is best known for the Majority opinion on the Roe v. Wade case by making abortions legal. He later had a Liberal outlook on civil right cases.
Stevens, John Paul; Illinois; Ford; December 19, 1975-Current
Stevens received his Law degree from Northwestern University in 1947. After graduation he served as Law Clerk to U.S Supreme Court Justice Wiley Rutledge for one year. Later he dedicated many years to a private practice in Chicago. In 1970 Stevens was nominated to the Federal Court of Appeals. In 1975 President Ford appointed Stevens to the U.S Supreme Court to serve as a Justice. Stevens was neither a Liberal nor Conservative. Stevens has a very independent voting record on many cases hearing them case by case and not putting his views into it. Later when more conservatives joined the Court Stevens became one of the most Liberal Judges on the Court.
http://hankwhittemore.wordpress.com
O’Connor, Sandra Day; Arizona; Regan; September 25, 1981-January 31, 2006
O’Connor graduated from Stanford Law in 1952. After receiving her degree she returned to her home state of Arizona to practice. In 1965-1969 she was a State Assistant Attorney General. In 1969 O’Connor ran and won Republican Senator of Arizona. In 1974 O’Connor was appointed to become a State Judge. In 1979 she was named to the Arizona Court of Appeals, but O’Connor kept rising up in the courts in 1981 Regan appointed O’Connor to the U.S Supreme Court to serve as a justice. O’Connor became the first women to ever be on the U.S Supreme Court. O’Connor resisted Judicial Activism throughout her career.
Scalia, Antonin; Virginia; Reagan; September 26, 1986-Current
Scalia graduated from Harvard Law School in 1960. Afterwards he taught Law at University of Virginia in 1967-1971, he also taught at the University of Chicago through 1977-1982. In 1982 Scalia was appointed by President Regan to the Federal Courts of Appeals in the District of Columbia. Four years later in 1986 he was nominated once again by President Regan but this time to the U.S Supreme Court. Scalia took Rehnquist’s seat once he was appointed to become Chief Justice of the U.S Supreme Court. Scalia is known to be a very outspoken conservative and looks at the Constitution as a dead document and follows it to a “T”. Although Scalia has been known for taking the Liberal side on positions by protecting flag burnings as a form of free speech.
Kennedy, Anthony K.; California; Reagan; February 18, 1988-Current
Kennedy Graduated Stanford University in 1958 and Harvard Law School in 1961. In 1965-1988 Kennedy taught at McGeorge School of Law at the University of Pacific. In 1975 he was nominated to the U.S Circuit Court of Appeals to represent the ninth district. In 1988 he was appointed to the U.S Supreme Court by President Reagan, to replace the spot of Powell. During the 101st Congress Kennedy showed a very conservative voting pattern.
The Courts Opinion The Supreme Court during the 101st Congress was a very unpredictable court there were many conservatives on the court. But at the same time many of them had different views on different cases. A lot of the Justices liked to hear case by case and to even if they were conservative they would sometimes vote liberal on cases because they just thought it was the right thing to do. There were two swing voters on the Supreme Court during the 101st Congress and it would be unpredictable what side they would choose. The flag burning case to express freedom of speech was one of the most controversial cases for the Supreme court in this era it came out in a liberal majority.
Cases
Mistretta v. United States
Florida v. Riley
City of Richmond v. J.A. Croson Co.
Bonito Boats, Inc. v. Thunder Craft Boats, Inc.
DeShaney v. Winnebago County Department of Social Services
Teague v. Lane
Blanton v. North Las Vegas
Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives Association
National Treasury Employees Union v. Von Raab
Board of Estimate of City of New York v. Morris
U.S Department of Justice v. Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
Graham v. Connor
Finley v. United States
Wards Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio
Hernandez v. Commissioner
Community For Creative Non-Violence v. Reid
Martin v. Wilks
Will v. Michigan Dept. of State Police
Texas v. Johnson
Ward v. Rock Against Racism
Granfinanciera v. Nordberg
Penry v. Lynaugh
Stanford v. Kentucky
Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
County of Allegheny v. ACLU
University of Pennsylvania v. EEOC
Commissioner v. Indianapolis Power & Light Co.
FW/PBS v. City of Dallas
Sullivan v. Zebley
Washington v. Harper
United States v. Verdugo-Urquidez
Chauffeurs, Teamsters, and Helpers Local No. 391 v. Terry
Employment Division v. Smith
Missouri v. Jenkins
Osborne v. Ohio
Stewart v. Abend
Grady v. Corbin
Taylor v. United States
Burnham v. Superior Court of California
Duro v. Reina
Westside School District v. Mergens
United States v. Eichman
Perpich v. Department of Defense
Eli Lilly & Co. v. Medtronic, Inc.
Milkovich v. Lorain Journal Co.
Illinois v. Rodriguez
Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health
Hodgson v. Minnesota
Walton v. Arizona
Maryland v. Craig
Perry v. Louisiana
The Most Pivotal Case
The most pivotal and important case the Supreme Court had to deal with between 1989 and 1990 was Texas v. Johnson. During the 1984 Republican National Convention, Johnson participated in protest against the policies of Reagan administration and some Dallas- based corporations. Johnson ended up burning an American flag. Johnson was then convicted of desecration of a venerated object. Justice William Brennan wrote for a five-justice majority in holding that the defendant’s act of flag burning was protected under the First Amendment freedom of speech. Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. asserted that “if there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable.” The court ended up deciding that it was not consistent with the First Amendment. The court concluded that Texas could not make flag burning a criminal act in order to preserve the flag as a symbol of national unity. This case decision was the uproar of 1989.
Government Interaction: The President and the Supreme Court did not always see eye to eye. The one thing that they did however have in common was that both the Supreme Court and the President was conservative. The Supreme Court acted like the 101st Congress however, very unpredictable, and against the public’s opinion at times. Overall though, each legislation branch stayed out of one another’s’ way and decisions.
101st Supreme Court
Biographys on the U.S Supreme Court Justices
Chief Justice
Rehnquist, William H.; Virginia; Reagan; September 26, 1986-September 3, 2005
William Rehnquist attended Stanford University and received his law degree in 1952. 1952-1953 Rehnquist served as a law clerk to U.S Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson. In 1954 he traveled to Arizona to study and become actively involved in conservative Republican politics. In 1968-1971 Rehnquist went to become U.S Assistant Attorney General. President Nixon appointed Rehnquist a U.S Associate Justice on the U.S Supreme Court in 1971, he was known as being one of the most conservative Justices. He was very active on the U.S Supreme Court and wrote many opinions. President Reagan appointed Rehnquist to be the Chief Justice of the U.S Supreme Court 1986, to replace Warren Burger whom had passed away.
Associate Justices
Brennan, William J., Jr.; New Jersey; Eisenhower; October 16, 1956-July 20, 1990
Brennan studied law on a scholarship at Harvard Law School and received his Law Degree in 1931. He started practicing law in his home state at Newark law firm of Pitney, Hardin, and Skinner. He was later added as a partner. He specialized in Labor Law. In 1949 Brennan he was assigned to serve on the Appellate Courts there Brennan stood out and was later appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court on March 24, 1952. He there came up with the system called Pretrial Conference, Pretrial Conference made the trials shorter and faster. To his surprise he was nominated by Eisenhower in 1956 to become a U.S Supreme Court Justice. This decision was later one of Eisenhower’s mistakes. By placing both Warren and Brennan on the court they lead an era of Judicial Activism. That worked against conservative President Eisenhower.
White, Byron Raymond; Colorado; Kennedy; April 16, 1962-June 28, 1993
White had received his Law Degree in 1946 from Yale Law, as an Oxford Rhodes Scholar, after White had served in the U.S Navy to fight in World War II. 1946-1947 White served as a law clerk to Chief Justice Frederick Vinson before he would travel back to his home state of Colorado to study and practice corporate law. In 1960 after supporting John F. Kennedy he was appointed Deputy Attorney General in 1961. A year later in 1962 Kennedy had once again appointed him to something but this time it was the U.S Supreme Court to replace Charles E. Whittaker after he had passed away. Since Nixon was very conservative and had appointed many conservative Justices White was known as the Swing Justice he was Liberal only on civil right cases and then Conservative on criminal justice cases. He was also one of the two justices to dissent from the others in the Roe v. Wade abortion case. In 1993 White retired from the U.S Supreme Court.
Marshall, Thurgood; New York; Johnson, L.; October 2, 1967-October 1, 1991
Marshall received his Law Degree from Howard University in 1933. In 1936 he joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People as legal staff. He later became Chief Consul and argued more than 30 cases in front of U.S Supreme Court. Marshall challenged racial segregation in public and in schools. He had a huge impact on his argument on “Separate but Equal” doctrine bringing up Brown v. Board of Education once again. In 1961 his appointment to the U.S Court of Appeals was turned down by two southern Senators, he was later confirmed into the U.S Court of Appeals in 1962. President Johnson appointed him to the U.S Supreme Court. Marshall was the first colored person to take a seat in a higher U.S Court. Throughout his career he supported no segregation based on race and sex he also opposed the death penalty. Marshall always felt like the minority on the court and after he retired he spoke out about the court.
Blackmun, Harry A.; Minnesota; Nixon; June 9, 1970-August 3, 1994
Blackmun graduated from Harvard College and received a degree in Mathematics. He later returned back to Harvard and received a law degree. After graduating he practiced law privately. In 1950-1959 he served on the Mayo Clinic. Later he became a Federal Circuit Court Judge. In 1970 President Nixon appointed him to the U.S Supreme Court to become a Justice, where he had reunited with Warren whom was a childhood friend. Blackmun is best known for the Majority opinion on the Roe v. Wade case by making abortions legal. He later had a Liberal outlook on civil right cases.
Stevens, John Paul; Illinois; Ford; December 19, 1975-Current
Stevens received his Law degree from Northwestern University in 1947. After graduation he served as Law Clerk to U.S Supreme Court Justice Wiley Rutledge for one year. Later he dedicated many years to a private practice in Chicago. In 1970 Stevens was nominated to the Federal Court of Appeals. In 1975 President Ford appointed Stevens to the U.S Supreme Court to serve as a Justice. Stevens was neither a Liberal nor Conservative. Stevens has a very independent voting record on many cases hearing them case by case and not putting his views into it. Later when more conservatives joined the Court Stevens became one of the most Liberal Judges on the Court.
O’Connor, Sandra Day; Arizona; Regan; September 25, 1981-January 31, 2006
O’Connor graduated from Stanford Law in 1952. After receiving her degree she returned to her home state of Arizona to practice. In 1965-1969 she was a State Assistant Attorney General. In 1969 O’Connor ran and won Republican Senator of Arizona. In 1974 O’Connor was appointed to become a State Judge. In 1979 she was named to the Arizona Court of Appeals, but O’Connor kept rising up in the courts in 1981 Regan appointed O’Connor to the U.S Supreme Court to serve as a justice. O’Connor became the first women to ever be on the U.S Supreme Court. O’Connor resisted Judicial Activism throughout her career.
Scalia, Antonin; Virginia; Reagan; September 26, 1986-Current
Scalia graduated from Harvard Law School in 1960. Afterwards he taught Law at University of Virginia in 1967-1971, he also taught at the University of Chicago through 1977-1982. In 1982 Scalia was appointed by President Regan to the Federal Courts of Appeals in the District of Columbia. Four years later in 1986 he was nominated once again by President Regan but this time to the U.S Supreme Court. Scalia took Rehnquist’s seat once he was appointed to become Chief Justice of the U.S Supreme Court. Scalia is known to be a very outspoken conservative and looks at the Constitution as a dead document and follows it to a “T”. Although Scalia has been known for taking the Liberal side on positions by protecting flag burnings as a form of free speech.
Kennedy, Anthony K.; California; Reagan; February 18, 1988-Current
Kennedy Graduated Stanford University in 1958 and Harvard Law School in 1961. In 1965-1988 Kennedy taught at McGeorge School of Law at the University of Pacific. In 1975 he was nominated to the U.S Circuit Court of Appeals to represent the ninth district. In 1988 he was appointed to the U.S Supreme Court by President Reagan, to replace the spot of Powell. During the 101st Congress Kennedy showed a very conservative voting pattern.
The Courts Opinion
The Supreme Court during the 101st Congress was a very unpredictable court there were many conservatives on the court. But at the same time many of them had different views on different cases. A lot of the Justices liked to hear case by case and to even if they were conservative they would sometimes vote liberal on cases because they just thought it was the right thing to do. There were two swing voters on the Supreme Court during the 101st Congress and it would be unpredictable what side they would choose. The flag burning case to express freedom of speech was one of the most controversial cases for the Supreme court in this era it came out in a liberal majority.
Cases
The Most Pivotal Case
The most pivotal and important case the Supreme Court had to deal with between 1989 and 1990 was Texas v. Johnson. During the 1984 Republican National Convention, Johnson participated in protest against the policies of Reagan administration and some Dallas- based corporations. Johnson ended up burning an American flag. Johnson was then convicted of desecration of a venerated object. Justice William Brennan wrote for a five-justice majority in holding that the defendant’s act of flag burning was protected under the First Amendment freedom of speech. Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. asserted that “if there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea offensive or disagreeable.” The court ended up deciding that it was not consistent with the First Amendment. The court concluded that Texas could not make flag burning a criminal act in order to preserve the flag as a symbol of national unity. This case decision was the uproar of 1989.
Government Interaction:
The President and the Supreme Court did not always see eye to eye. The one thing that they did however have in common was that both the Supreme Court and the President was conservative. The Supreme Court acted like the 101st Congress however, very unpredictable, and against the public’s opinion at times. Overall though, each legislation branch stayed out of one another’s’ way and decisions.
Introduction
Congress
President